A Gilty Pleasure

Thursday, 20 January 2011 21:29 | Written by Administrator

Gilt City, the leading online site for luxury services and experiences, announced a national partnership with Paramount Pictures for advance screenings of the film "No Strings Attached," starring Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman, today. Gilt City offered screening tickets on a first come, first serve basis to Gilt City members in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago and Boston, beginning January 11, and include a cocktail reception in advance of the screening.

The first screening for “No Strings Attached” is tomorrow January 20th, and sold out on giltcity.com within 6 minutes! The waitlist is now over 17,000 members across all city markets.

Be sure to keep an eye on Gilt City for future screenings in your area!

“Beauty and the Beast” on Stage! “Belle’s” Tell-All!

Tuesday, 26 October 2010 06:57 | Written by Kristen Fogle

Turns out, if you weren’t locked up in a box as a child, the words “Be Our Guest” tend to conjure up notions of dishware entertaining a lovely brunette in a castle. This week in San Diego (October 26-31 at the Civic Theater), and in other spots all across the country, the original creators of this Broadway production present that number, as well as all of your other favorites, as the cast portrays their respective Disney characters in the beloved “Beauty and the Beast.”

The head honcho, Liz Shivener, who plays Belle, took some time to answer some of our questions about touring, her character, as well as what goes on backstage.

Cliq Magazine: OK, so why should college students see “Beauty and the Beast” on the stage?

Liz Shivener: “Beauty and the Beast” is truly for everyone. It's not only for families and can be a great date night. Also, it came out around the time current college students were toddlers. Go for the nostalgia, for the memories! It will be funny to hear some of the jokes that flew over your head when you were little.

CM: On that note, what is it like portraying a character that many grew up with?

LS: Playing Belle is a ton of fun, but it's also a challenge. I loved her so much as a child and becoming her every night is exciting each time. However, playing a character that is already iconic is quite a responsibility. Most people already have feelings or memories associated with Belle, so I feel that it's my job to both respect that, and bring new life to her. It is a delicate balance.

CM: If you weren't playing your particular Disney character, can you think of another one that you'd like to be?

LS: Mary Poppins! Because she's practically perfect in every way!

CM: What is your favorite part that you’ve played during your stage career thus far?

LS: This is actually the start of my career, so it's definitely my favorite. It all still seems comical, unreal to me, that I was lucky enough to be cast in this role. To walk out of the stage door and see the smiling faces of the children who say that the show fills [them] with joy each time…I know what Belle meant to me as a child, and to be able to give that to little girls now is a privilege.

CM: What is the most challenging thing about doing a tour?

LS: It is a very strange thing, being on tour. You really have to put the rest of your life on hold. For me it was particularly difficult because I had dreamt for four years of college about the apartment I would have one day, and my fantastic New York life that I was going to lead. So I moved to the city and got my apartment and started my life…and then had to leave it. I wouldn't give this up for anything in the world, but it is difficult to lay your head down in a new place every Monday.

CM: Any funny backstage mishaps?

LS: Tons! Not many that I can talk about. What I can say is that it is a true sign of the talent of this cast to keep smiling during every performance of "Be Our Guest." That number is often times pandemonium backstage, even after 200 plus performances. There can be set issues, special effect problems, unfastened forks, and wobbling plates, but rest assured, this ensemble will be grinning ear to ear through it all.

CM: For theater majors and those that want to get more serious about performing professionally, what are some practical steps one can take to perhaps one day tour with a company or become involved in a large scale production like the one you are involved in?

LS: Take class, work hard, and audition. Truly, that is all you can do. Be seen! Sign up for workshops, read for auditions, and do anything to put your face out there. Even if you are turned down for something, that's still one more person that has seen you act. And this is a very small world. I got this audition because three months prior, the casting director had seen me in my school's actor showcase. You never know when luck will strike!

It may be a “Tale as Old as Time,” but with this production, there truly is a new energy brought to an old favorite. Go to www.broadwaysd.com for tickets to the San Diego show and to www.beautyandthebeastontour.com for info about shows in your area!

Book Reads Right Now

Tuesday, 29 June 2010 06:59 | Written by Jennifer Wooters

Now that there is ample time to sit and flip through something non-school related, here are a few reviews from our fave librarian correspondent!

Book 1: Boneshaker by Cherie PriestIt's a steampunk novel. Steampunk is the Big New Thing, apparently. Meh.

I wanted to like this book. The premise is excellent, and I am drawn to Briar. Fantasy novels abound with plucky teenage heroines, but it can be difficult to find interesting adult female characters. Most of all, I was impressed by the glowing praise from Scott Westerfeld ("This book is made of irresistible") and Warren Ellis. However, two problems plague the book.

First, a steampunk adventure story requires frequent and detailed descriptions of the settings, i.e., There were pipes and levers and copper thingies everywhere, and don't forget to put on your goggles! Unfortunately, these descriptions bring the pace of the action to a screeching halt. It is difficult to get excited about the zombies when Briar spends as much time describing the surroundings as she does describing the hungry undead.

The second problem is that the writing often becomes so distractingly trite that it pulls me out of the story and into snark-land. Lines like, "He was dead for no reason at all except that he'd once been alive," and "Briar stopped too—or she would have, if she hadn't already," and "She didn't disturb the disturbing silence," give me flashbacks to Creative Writing 101.

But again, the premise is excellent and would lend itself wonderfully to film. When is Boneshaker coming to theaters?

Book 2: The Boy with the Cuckoo-Clock Heart by Mathias MalzieuI LOVED THIS. It's a 19th century fairy-tale for grownups. It's light, fun weekend reading.

A hurricane in a skirt named Miss Acacia, a pet hamster named Cunnilingus, tiny bottles filled with one's own tears, and a cameo appearance from Jack the Ripper...What's not to like?!

In The Boy with the Cuckoo-Clock Heart, Jack's life depends on a clock installed in his chest. But Jack must be careful, because anger or love will break his fragile heart. Still, he journeys from Edinburgh to Andalusia in search of his beloved Miss Acacia.

Mathias Malzieu paints delightfully gorgeous and grotesque pictures with words. His lush, fruity, sugar-adorned imagery leaves me hungry for more of his pretty words. Jack's unwavering adoration of Miss Acacia is so fairy-tale perfect that it is rather uninteresting, but Malzieu's lustrous images and amusing supporting characters make up for the dull romance. I love journeying with Jack through laboratories filled with small mysterious bottles, a twinkling 19th century Andalusian circus, and a ghost train decorated with bones dragged up from the catacombs.

Tim Burton fans will especially love the balance of frightening and romantic imagery. The Mechanics of the Heart, an animated film based on the book, comes out in October 2011. (And no, Burton wasn't involved).

Book 3: The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stiegg LarssonThis trilogy is HUGE right now. The last book in the series, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest, comes out next month. But for readers who are a little behind (after all, they have to read for class too!), this might be apropos.

Lisbeth Salander has changed since The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. After spending a year abroad, she is more confident and refined. But demons from her past still loom. In The Girl Who Played With Fire, Salander is suspected of murdering her legal guardian and couple—a journalist and an academic—who are about to expose the major players in Sweden's sex industry. Salander has an excellent motive for killing her guardian, but what is her connection to the couple, and why is everyone involved in the case afraid of a man named Zala? Salander's lover from The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Blomkvist, believes she is innocent and begins doing his own research.

I could not put this book down. Larsson switches from character to character without losing narrative tension. And unlike most thrillers, the character development here is marvelous. Even minor supporting characters are fleshed out. The characters do not exist merely to advance the plot from point A to point B; their personalities and backgrounds are unique and drive the story. This is not a typical tale of good versus evil. The good characters often fight back in morally objectionable—or at least questionable—ways. This moral ambiguity makes this book much more interesting than most thrillers.

As you read, be prepared to jump up every five minutes to convert Swedish kronor to American dollars. I was blown away—and extremely jealous!—when I realized how much Salander spent at IKEA. Read this before the final installment in the trilogy, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest, out now!

NOH8: The Cause, The Campaign, The Interview

Friday, 21 May 2010 20:54 | Written by Sophia Recalde

Photographs by Nicole Berry

Proposition 8, the prop that ended up refusing to grant marriage equality in California, has struck a chord with not just residents, but with a nation that recognizes the bigger discrimination still going on in our country. Photographer Adam Bouska and businessman Jeff Parshley set out to be a voice in the move to get Proposition 8 overturned through their photographed silent protests. Through their NOH8 Campaign, Adam and Jeff have seen thousands of people willing to be part of such a great cause by getting their photo taken with duct tape over their mouths and a NOH8 temporary tattoo on their face.

Cliq Magazine: What inspired you to start the NOH8 campaign?

Adam: We initially started in direct response to Prop 8. We took part in the rally in West Hollywood. We were inspired and were emotionally moved by the experience and we wanted to do more for the cause. Early that night we started taking pictures with Jeff and from there Jeff posted it on Myspace.

CM: How did the campaign take off?

Jeff: It took off through social networking. Everybody’s friends see it, and they ask about it. Once they are informed, they want to be a part of it. The first maybe 1,000 were everyday people through social networking.

CM: How has it changed both of your lives?

A: …It has given me access to work with new clients, meet new people, and help give exposure to our NOH8 campaign. It always keeps me busy. (Laughs.)

J: Mentally it has changed me. I probably feel for more people than I did before because I wasn’t an activist. Now I see other people’s lives and I take that into consideration. Makes me want to do as much as I can.

A: In the process it educated us and opened our eyes. The fact that someone’s rights can be voted on and taken away…It’s not the fact of marriage equality, it’s the fact that someone’s human rights are at stake. And that is what we are trying to relay.

CM: What are the positives and negatives of becoming well known?

A: Positive—the power to influence more and actually do something proactive with it.

J: Not a negative, but sad thing is to see opposition within the community.

CM: What has been your favorite experience so far?

A: The culmination of the whole experience and being able to be a part of this. It was cool when we went to Dallas, because we were able to see other people from a different state responding to what is going on in California. In their own respect, they were reaching out to us which was very special to us…In DC we joined a student lead rally for the “Don’t ask, don’t tell” which went from Washington Monument to George Washington University. All the students had duct tape on their mouths and at the end they tore off their duct tape and screamed in front of the White House. It was great to see art turn into a life movement.

J: The one that sticks out the most is when we went back to my home state and we shot NOH8 photos in the high school I went to in New Hampshire. My gym teacher and high school friends came to the photo shoot. It was great to see people who live on the other side of the country support our cause in their community…For them to show their support was icing on the cake

A: Another fun moment is when we got to go on the set of Glee to take a NOH8 photo of Jane Lynch.

CM: What are the next plans for NOH8?

A: Still building up our organization. We will keep on doing open shoots and from there take our cause to raise awareness to different cities and states.

J: Showing that this is not a California issue. We won’t stop until homophobia no longer exists and discrimination is a thing of the past.

To get involved and find out more information on the NOH8 Campaign or Adam and Jeff, please visit:

Nicole Johnson isn’t just your typical LA looker. As the reigning Miss California, not only has she got a job that most girls covet, but she’s getting ready for one of the most watched televised events of the season—The Miss USA pageant. On May 16th in Vegas, Nicole will take to the stage to compete for the ultimate beauty queen prize.

This down-to-earth former Trojan from Westlake Village, CA took time to share her thoughts on what she’s been doing to prep for the big night, how she got to this day…and her dreams of being a Formula One pit reporter.

Yea, that’s not a typo.

What we learned in Nicole’s interview is that she’s going to give every pageant girl (we’re lookin’ at you, Florida!), a run for her money. Not only by being a composed, confident, accomplished (and can you say stunning??) 24 year old, but by granting a glimpse of a gal that’s more snowboarding and dirt bikes than smiles and photo ops.

Cliq Magazine:The Miss USA competition is coming up soon. Are you getting nervous?

Nicole Johnson: I am not nervous whatsoever. It’s funny, I always get asked that questions and I’m like, “What do you mean nervous?” I’m just excited. I just want to get there.

CM: Well, congrats. What do you do to prep in the last few weeks?

NJ: My main preparation is probably mental, but that comes along with all the exercise I’ve been doing. I’ve changed my diet, though not significantly. I’ve always eaten healthily, but I’ve either gotten rid of some stuff or added in things that my nutritionist thought might help. And then shopping…I mean, I’ve done so much shopping for the right gown, the right interview outfit, what I’m going to wear when I check in. It’s been a lot of fun…But for me, honestly, I think the biggest thing is working out and looking your best. If you’re going to be on stage in front of however many viewers, you’ve got to look your best.

CM: Absolutely. So here’s a question for you. A couple years back I did a Miss California preliminary and was stuck with a really hard question on stage. How do you tackle difficult or controversial questions?

NJ: You know for me, it’s all about remaining true to myself when answering a question, and if it a controversial question, there is a fine line you have to walk. In the same regard, you must honor what you believe.

CM: What’s your platform and how did you choose it?

NJ: My platform is education and I chose it mainly because my mom’s a school teacher. I’ve always been involved within the school system. Prior to winning and to last year, I was a tutor for at-risk students…But now that I am Miss California I get to go and do that again and tutor students who are at risk of not graduating high school. I think it’s very important to have a diploma whether or not one decides to continue on to a university. It’s one of the biggest things you can do for yourself.

CM: How long have you been doing pageants and about how many have you done?

NJ: I read about a local one in the newspaper at the age of 17, Miss California Teenager. I thought, “Why not? I’ll give it a shot?” and that one I took first runner-up in. Then I was approached by America’s National Teenager and they asked me if I wanted to compete in the state of California, which I did. So I competed in that and I won and went to nationals, won second runner-up...That was it for my teen pageants. Then I came into Miss USA. So I’ve done a total of six pageants because I competed for Miss California three times.

CM: Do you ever get flak from people for being a pageant girl?

NJ: Always! Even my best girlfriends tease me about it…I think you start talking to a person and they realize how much you’ve accomplished and how knowledgeable and involved pageant girls are and it changes people’s stereotype about the pageant girl.

CM: Well I know you’re involved in all kinds of interesting activities…dirt biking and snowboarding among other things…

NJ: I am a huge action sports junky. Right now everything is on hold though. My mom is very, I dunno, not OK with me doing any of it right now. I’m huge into snowboarding, dirt biking…my boyfriend is into jujitsu, so I’ve been learning that…wakeboarding, surfing if I can. Anything where I can take a risk, I guess, is awesome.

CM: Is it true that you want to be a Formula One pit reporter?

NJ: Yes, that is very true. Ever since I can remember, my dad would sit me on his lap and we would watch the races…I’ve been watching for a long time.

CM: You also graduated from USC with honors and a degree in Communication. Are you also a college sports fan?

NJ: I love college sports but particularly football. Football I have a huge passion for. I actually like college football more than the NFL. I just think there’s more spirit and there’s more of a backing behind it than when you get into the NFL.

CM: You still live with your parents?

NJ: I do. My parents are divorced so I get the joy of going back and forth and so I get two places to hide out at.

CM: Well, if you could live anywhere else in the world where would it be?

NJ: You know honestly, I don’t think I could live anywhere else than Southern California…

CM: What are your plans after the pageant? Or have you thought that far in advance?

NJ: Well, you always get asked, “Where do you see yourself in five years?” But my main focus right now is getting to Miss USA and hopefully winning Miss USA. And if that happens then I have at least a year of my life planned out! Otherwise, I want to pursue my goal of being a pit reporter and just be happy. Just being happy and know that I’m accomplishing everything I want to do.

CM: Lastly, for women that want to be involved in the Miss California program or Miss USA program, what’s a good first step?

NJ: The first step is to get online and apply…all of the information is online. If you are really curious, find me on Facebook. I am more than happy to answer questions when I have the time to. It’s an incredible experience, and I strongly promote that pageants are incredibly empowering to women.